Before taking the stage for a solo performance, Malone opened the 2024 CMA Awards with a high-energy show alongside Chris Stapleton. The pair delivered “California Sober,” their recent collaboration from Malone’s “F-1 Trillion” album, setting the tone for the night.
For Malone, tapping into country music has been a dream nearly a decade in the making. In 2015, he tweeted, “WHEN I TURN 30 I’M BECOMING A COUNTRY/FOLK SINGER.” Now 29, the rapper-turned-singer is making good on that promise.
His latest album, “F-1 Trillion,” released just months ago, features 18 tracks, including collaborations with country icons such as Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, and Brad Paisley.
Speaking to Apple Music, Malone revealed, “I’ve always wanted to make a record like this, but for the longest time, it seemed so inaccessible, because I didn’t know how the hell it worked.”
Though unfamiliar with Nashville’s music scene at first, Malone’s country influences run deep. His mom’s favorites, like Hank Williams and George Strait, and his dad’s love for ’90s stars like Paisley and McGraw, shaped his appreciation for the genre.
Those early influences eventually brought him to Nashville, where he worked alongside some of country music’s biggest names.
In 2022, Post Malone made it clear during an appearance on “The Howard Stern Show” that he refuses to be confined by genres. “To be honest, there’s nothing stopping me from taking a camera or setting up in my studio in Utah and just recording a country album and putting it on YouTube,” he said. “I’m allowed to do that.”
When Stern asked him why he hadn’t taken that step, Malone explained the balancing act of his commitments. “I am happily obligated to do concerts and show love to my fans,” he said adding that he also prioritizes writing music, making beats, and taking care of his family.
He admitted that time is the biggest hurdle in pursuing his country music dreams fully. “It’s a lot of time, and it’s about finding that space to allot that time,” Malone added. He then hinted that if he ever had a year to himself, he might finally make a country album.
